


River Deep, Mountain High

by misura



Category: The Lions of Al-Rassan - Guy Gavriel Kay
Genre: Missing Scene, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-12
Updated: 2020-02-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:48:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22676662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: One did not, generally speaking, accomplish much in the way of military endeavors by screaming out one's ardent desire to be taken right here, right now for all to hear.
Relationships: Rodrigo Belmonte/Jehane bet Ishak/Ammar ibn Khairan
Comments: 7
Kudos: 14
Collections: Chocolate Box - Round 5





	River Deep, Mountain High

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Syksy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Syksy/gifts).



Fully dressed, in the company of two people he had, improbably, come to love, it had been easy to feel amusement, to take a step back and regard the situation as hilarious.

It _had_ been fairly ridiculous, as these things went. One did not, generally speaking, accomplish much in the way of military endeavors by screaming out one's ardent desire to be taken right here, right now for all to hear.

Of course, there were exceptions to any rule.

He thought he might be able to meet Ammar's gaze now and not start laughing again, or Jehane's without embarrassing himself (and also, he reminded himself, forfeit his life, because Miranda Belmonte did make idle threats).

He also thought that he'd as soon not risk it, opting to find some peace and quiet instead, to think. To forget, perhaps, insofar as that was possible.

Probably, he should have known it wasn't going to be that easy.

"You, too, then," Ammar said. He looked mostly amused.

If he also looked like a good and safer alternative to Jehane, Rodrigo had no intention of commenting on it. Coming to care too much for Ammar carried its own risks, was, in its own way, even more dangerous than coming to care for Jehane.

"You heard her," said Rodrigo. Ammar had made himself comfortable enough to spend the night. It seemed impolite to keep standing, looming over him.

"And saw her," Ammar said, which was fair enough, and then he added, "And you," and that wasn't fair at all.

Rodrigo reflected that this might well turn out to be the first time being polite had gotten him into trouble, rather than out of it. He wished he found the prospect a little less attractive.

"She is - " he started, then realized there was no good ending to that sentence.

Ammar smiled, inclined his head. A famous poet, Rodrigo remembered. Not what he was most known for, but still. "Yes. She is. I have wine."

It was unlikely wine would make him any less (or more) likely to do something he might not come to regret for a long time.

"Thank you."

Ammar's smile was sharper this time. " 'Thank you'? But I haven't even done anything yet."

Jehane found them before things went much further.

Rodrigo wondered why he even felt surprised, how it was possible that anything Jehane did could surprise him anymore.

Ammar watched her as she sat down, and the expression on his face loosened something within Rodrigo's chest. He felt overwhelmingly relieved, which was absurd.

And yet. They had fought five men together, not so long ago, and won.

Only this afternoon, they had listened to Jehane, describing in increasing detail what a man might do to please her. He could not, Rodrigo thought, reasonably be expected to listen to such things and not feel at least _something_.

He realized that Jehane was smiling at him - that they both were, as if the decision of what would happen next was in any way his alone.

(To be fair, as far as he knew, neither of them had been threatened with a fate as bad as death by a woman who never joked about such things.)

He did not know what was on his face, but Ammar leaned forward, to kiss him, and Rodrigo let him, and after that, everything seemed at once a great deal simpler and somewhat complicated, given the logistics of the situation.

Of the three of them, only Ammar seemed to truly know how this would work - Jehane put on a good show, and has the advantage of being a doctor and thus familiar with human bodies, but Ammar was the one murmuring suggestions and instructions as well as endearments. (Jehane, it went without saying, only received suggestions. Rodrigo felt too grateful to object to receiving instructions and besides, he was not so proud a man as that.)

"So would now be a good time to say 'thank you'?"

Jehane slept, or pretended to. Rodrigo did not want to wake her, but on the other hand, he did not think it would be wise to spend the night outside their camp. If nothing else, their absence would be noted, assuming it hadn't been already.

"I believe you may have done so already," said Ammar. He was smiling. Rodrigo incongruously wondered if Ammar was composing a poem, to commemorate the occasion.

Rodrigo sighed. He felt sated, spent and disturbingly free from either guilt or regret.

"Even so, you are welcome," Ammar said. "My pleasure." He grinned.

Rodrigo grinned back, which seemed to wake Jehane, unlikely as that seemed, and so they ended up postponing their trip back to the camp a little while longer.

(There were fewer instructions from Ammar this time around, but Jehane seemed intent to make up for the lack. It was, Rodrigo reflected, possibly a good thing he liked bossy women, though not quite as good a thing as the fact that they seemed to like him as well.)


End file.
